Uzi case unlikely to change federal law, Richardson says

The shooting death of a range instructor by a 9-year-old with an Uzi is unlikely to change federal gun control laws, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) said on Sunday, although it may open the door to changes in some states.

“You’re not going to deal with this issue nationally, and Congress isn’t going to touch it,” Richardson said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “So it has to be states.”

{mosads}Last week’s incident, in which a girl at an Arizona shooting range accidentally shot her instructor in the head, brought outrage among commentators. But that outrage isn’t likely to cause changes at the federal level that may have prevented the incident, Richardson said.

Richardson, who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association previously, predicted that Arizona, with its strong gun culture, would not likely change any laws.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) reached a similar conclusion.

“I agree with the governor. I think this is probably something to deal with at the state level, at the local level,” he said.

Cole also predicted that gun ranges would change their own internal rules on childrens’ gun use.

“But I don’t think this is an opening for some big, sweeping, national federal gun control,” he said.